Every Airbnb door opens more. A place to stay becomes a catalyst for community growth. A host becomes an employer and a guest becomes a contributor.  Each of these choices might feel small, but together, they help build something bigger: turning Airbnb into a powerful platform for economic growth.

From inner-city terraces in Sydney to farm cottages in the Margaret River, Airbnb is embedding tourism not into districts, but into daily life, turning local homes into contributors to the visitor economy.

Through Airbnb, tourism is dispersed, regional economies are fuelled, and businesses both big and small are sustained. And with an estimated 107,000 jobs supported by the economic activity Airbnb generates, it lets more Australians get involved in tourism, not stand on the sidelines but play a real role as hosts, business owners and workers. Importantly, Airbnb supported one in every 15 jobs within the travel and tourism industry was associated with Airbnb in 2024.

In 2024, Airbnb contributed an estimated $20 billion to Australia’s GDP. This included $7.2 billion in direct impact and $13.1 billion in extended economic flow-on. Together, this economic activity supported 107,000 jobs, 0.7% of Australia’s total employment and 6.6% of all tourism employment.

From inner-city cafes, to regional food producers, to coastal tourism providers, this impact is felt not just in major centres but across remote and regional Australia. These aren’t just numbers. They reflect the holiday grocery runs, early morning coffees, car hires and pub lunches that deliver an estimated $7 billion in wages to every-day Aussies.

Guest spending typically flows to transport, dining, entertainment and local services. Hosts contribute locally too, relying on contractors, tradespeople and cleaners. These downstream effects help embed the value of tourism within the community.

Airbnb’s contribution is distributed across the country. These numbers reflect the passions of hosts and guests who want to live like a local. They demonstrate the real impact to communities from Airbnb-based visitor activity.

From farm cottages in the Riverina to coastal bungalows in northern Tasmania, hosts are not just responding to demand, they are helping to shape community prosperity.